Blank feeder



Feb. 6, I F M JOSLIN BLANK FEEDER Original Filed April 11, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 gw'uentot Ffib- 6, F. M. JOSLN BLANK FEEDER Original Filed April 11. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 F. M. JOSLIN BLANK FEEDER Feb. 6, 1934.

Original Filed April 11, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 4 6 'iHIllllll Patented Feb. 6, 1934 were STATES BLANK FEEDER Frank M. Joslin, Amsterdam, N. Y., assignor to Inman Manufacturing Company, Inc., Amsterdam, N. Y., a corporation of New York Original application April 11, 1929, Serial No. 354,353. Divided and this application February 25, 1931. Serial No. 518,279

1 Claim.

This application is a division of my oopending application, Serial No. 354,353, filed April 11, 1929.

The invention of this application relates to mechanism for feeding blanks, particularly box blanks, to a die or other machine for operating on the same.

The object of the invention is to provide, in connection with a feeding mechanism of the type described, novel and improved means for elevating the pile of blanks to be forwarded to the machine for operating on the same.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the mechanism;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same;

Figure 3 is a transverse section substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Figure 4 is a rear end view showing particularly the mechanism for gradually elevating a pile of blanks and the pneumatic device for lifting the blanks one at a time from the pile;

Figure 5 is a' horizontal section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the mechanism of the present invention is preferably supported on a frame generally indicated at F which is carried by standards S. The reference character D indicates generally the die or other device to which the blanks are intended to be fed by the mechanism of the present invention, such die and its cooperating parts forming the subject matter covered by the claims of said copending application.

A shaft 10 serves as the source of power for the mechanism hereinafter described, this shaft being operated in any suitable manner and preferably from the main shaft which supplies power to the die mechanism, not shown. This shaft 10 is connected through beveled gears 11 to a shaft 12 extending transversely beneath the frame F and from which the various parts of the present mechanism are operated.

The mechanism for feeding the box blanks comprises two parallel rack bars 13 which are arranged to reciprocate longitudinally in the frame F of the machine. These rack bars are reciprocated through gears 14 secured to a transverse shaft 15, the end of which is provided with another gear engaged by a rack bar 16 which in turn is operated by a crank disk 17 secured to the transverse shaft 12. Rotation of the crank disk 17 will cause reciprocation of the rack bar 16, which in turn will produce rotary motion of the gear wheels 14 alternately in opposite directions and as such gear wheels engage the sliding rack bars 13 it is apparent that such rack bars will be reciprocated in the frame F.

The rack bars 13 are provided at spaced intervals with upwardly projecting lugs 20, 21 and 22, the purpose of which will appear later. Secured to the upper surface of the rack bars 13 adjacent their rear ends are plates which form in effect a platform 23 on which the blanks are deposited as the platform is moved to its extreme right-hand position as later pointed out. Arranged on each side of the rack bars 13 and spaced therefrom are stationary guide bars 24 and pivotally depending from these bars are rear holding dogs 25 and front holding dogs 26.

It will be understood that as the platform 23 connected to the rack bars 13 is moved to the extreme right, it will pass beneath the pneumatic lifting device hereinafter described and a blank will be deposited thereon. The blank will be carried' toward the left on the return movement of the platform, being pushed along by means of the lugs 22. The platform is moved a sufficient distance to bring the rear end of the blank past therear set of pivoted dogs 25, after which the racks again move toward the right, the blank being prevented from rearward movement by the dogs 25. Such movement of the racks toward the right will bring the lugs 21 back of the rear edge of the blank and on the next movement of the racks 13 toward the left, the lugs 21 will push the blank a second step toward the die or, in other words, will push it past the front set of dogs 26, which hold it against rearward movement. Upon the next reciprocation of the racks 13, the lugs 20 thereof will come behind the rear edge of the blank which is held by the dogs 26 and push it into position on the die. The bars 24 serve to guide the blanks in their forward movement and they are preferably made adjustable toward and from the rack bars 13.

The blanks are supplied to the platform 23 in the following manner. Arranged adjacent the end of the machine is a blank support 30 which is adapted to carry a pile of blanks indicated at 30a. The support 30 is carried by a vertically arranged rack bar 31 which slides through a guide casing 32 secured to the frame of the machine. A gear wheel 33 mounted in the easing 32 engages the rack bar 31 and this gear wheel 33 is frictionally connected to a worm wheel 34 which is operated by a worm 35 on a shaft 36, the latter being connected through a one-way clutch 37 to a gear wheel 38 which, in

a knob 45. The worm wheel 34 is freely rotat-' able on the shaft 44. By moving the shaft 44 longitudinally inwardly or outwardly the gear wheel 33 may be connected to or disconnected from the worm wheel 34. This arrangement serves as a friction clutch by which movement of the blank support 30 may be stopped at any time desired.

The rack bar 31 is also engaged by a second gear 46 also arranged in the casing 32 and connected to a shaft 47 which extends outside of the casing and is provided with a handle 48 whereby the support 30 may be operated manually whenever desired.

As before noted, pneumatic mechanism is provided for lifting the blanks one by one from the pile and depositing the same on the platform 23. This mechanism comprises suction heads indicated at 50 which are connected by a hose 51 to a pump arranged at any suitable point, being indicated at 52 adjacent the shaft 10 and being operated from said shaft through suitable gears indicated at 5211. Suitable valve mechanism is provided for breaking and restoring the suction in the suction heads 50 at proper intervals, such mechanism being shown generally at 53 and being operated by a cam 54 secured to the shaft 41.

The suction heads 50 are carried on a transverse bar 55 connected to a slide 56 which is moved up and down by means of a lever 57 connected thereto at one end and pivoted at the other end to the frame of the machine and having intermediate its ends a friction wheel 58 which bears on a cam 59 secured to the shaft 41.

It will be understood that the parts are so timed that the suction heads 50 will move down and pick up a box blank from the pile 30a and move upwardly substantially to the position shown in Figure 2, after which the platform 23 will be moved under the suction heads 50 and, the suction being broken at that time, the blank will be deposited on the platform 23 and moved forwardly, as heretofore described. After the platform 23 moves to the left (Figure 2), the suction heads will again descend and pick up another blank and the operation will thus be repeated.

As the blanks are moved toward the die or other mechanism for operating on the same, they pass beneath creasing rolls 60 which are secured to a transverse shaft 61 arranged above the frame and which is rotated through a sprocket chain 62 from the transverse shaft 12. As the blanks pass through the creasing rolls, glue is applied by any suitable glueing apparatus indicated generally at 63.

The mechanism as described may, of course, be varied in detail without departing from the spirit of the invention, which is intended to be limited only as indicated by the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

In a blank feeding mechanism, a platform for holding a pile of blanks, a rack bar for supporting said platform, a gear wheel meshing with said rack bar, a shaft on which said gear wheel is mounted, a worm wheel rotatably supported on said shaft, said gear wheel and worm wheel having cooperating frusto-oonical friction surfaces, whereby said gear wheel may be immediately operatively engaged by or disengaged from said worm wheel, means for intermittently and automatically rotating said worm wheel, said gear wheel and shaft being movable relative to said worm wheel to engage or disengage said friction surfaces as desired, a second gear wheel engaging teeth on said rack bar, and manually operable means for rotating said second gear to positively move said rack bar when said first gear wheel is disconnected from said automatically operated worm wheel.

FRANK M. JOSLIN. 

